A Shower Of Kisses
by Ayanami1167
Summary: [The first chapters of "A Shower Of Kisses: Rebuild" are up and available for reading!] - When he forgets a late-night synchronisation test, Shinji gets more than he bargained for from Rei whilst getting ready. A one-shot RxS lemon.


**A Shower Of Kisses**

When he forgets about a late-night synchronisation test, Shinji gets more than he bargained for from Rei whilst getting ready. A one-shot RxS lemon. [Possibly more after I've finished rewatching the series - stay tuned!]

\- o -

 ** _Disclaimer:_**

This is a work of purely speculative fiction. It is not intended to infringe on any rights by and of the companies and/or individuals involved in the production of the series upon which it is based. The author of this work has received no financial compensation.

 ** _Warning:_** This story contains explicit sexual scenes.

This is my first upload, so please leave a review if you have time; I'd appreciate any opinion or constructive criticism that you can offer.

[23/12 - More corrections because the editor keeps eating my formatting (T_T); adjustments for accuracy; significant adjustments to characterisation in scene 4; other minor changes to dialogue and prose]

[21/12 - Various corrections that escaped the last edit (O_o)]

[3/12 - Changed emphasis from bold to italic in response to review; small layout changes]

\- 1 -

 _"At least this ceiling is familiar, now,"_ thought Shinji Ikari to himself as he lay back on his futon, his _SDAT_ player in its customary position by his side. _"It feels like almost the only thing in this screwed-up world that_ is _familiar."_

The most recent battle against the octahedral 5th Angel, which had been named Ramiel, had taken its toll on the young man, physically and emotionally. Mostly emotionally, he'd have to admit; the brunt of the physical trauma had been borne by his classmate and fellow pilot, Rei Ayanami.

The plan, christened _Operation Yashima_ and cooked up by the ever-optimistic Captain Katsuragi at incredibly short notice, had been ludicrous, but brilliant. Shinji's _Unit 01_ , the test-type of the gigantic biomechanical humanoid known as _Evangelion_ , would take a long-range sniper shot at the Angel from an outlook on top of Mount Futago, using a high-powered positron rifle that had been jerry-rigged to draw power from substations across Japan.

Rei's _Unit 00_ , the prototype unit, carried a shield ostensibly based on the heat-resistant external hull of the Space Shuttle, and was to hold position nearby. The shield would be used to protect _Unit 01_ from the Angel's energy beam if anything should go wrong.

Unfortunately, in the same moment that _Unit 01_ had taken its shot, Ramiel had discharged its own energy beam, causing both to skew off target. Before the positron rifle had been able to recharge for a second shot, the Angel had fired again in a concentrated, continuous discharge of energy.

It was only Rei's quick action that had saved him - she had interposed her own _Eva_ and its heat shield between Ramiel and _Unit 01_ , gifting him precious seconds until the rifle was ready for firing. The Angel had been neutralised by the second positron discharge, but in protecting Shinji, _Unit 00_ had sustained heavy damage.

To say nothing of the effect on the pilot.

Shinji balled up his hands into tight fists, remembering how he had ejected from _Unit 01_ and sprinted desperately to the fallen _Unit 00_ to release Ayanami from the coffin-like entry plug, which had been superheated by Ramiel's energy beam. He recalled clearly how his hands burned with agony as he opened the emergency hatch, and the mixture of horror, relief and joy he had felt when he found Rei lying in the plug's life-sustaining pool of LCL, exhausted but mercifully uninjured.

 _"If she'd been..."_ He sighed deeply. _"What if she'd..."_

An insistent beeping broke him out of his reverie. Pausing the music, he looked around to find the source of the sound. His cell phone. Ayanami was calling.

Rei...

"Uh, h-hello?"

 _"...Pilot Ikari. Captain Katsuragi asked me to try and make contact with you regarding the synchronisation test scheduled for tonight. You are late for our pre-test preparations."_ Shinji's eyes widened in surprise and alarm.

 _"Oh,_ _no_ ," thought Shinji. _"How long have I been daydreaming?"_ He cleared his throat and replied. "But... but, Rei, we only just got done fighting that Angel, and it's so late... I'm tired..."

There was a pause at the other end of the line. _"...Ikari, the Evas are the only weapon that's capable of defeating an Angel. We may be called on at any time to pilot them. It is our responsibility to ensure that we are ready."_

Shinji looked up at the ceiling and sighed resignedly. He wasn't in the mood to argue. "Um... okay, I guess that makes sense. Well, I guess I-I'll see you there, then."

 _"...Understood. Goodbye, Ikari."_

"Okay, uh, 'bye, Rei."

Only after hanging up did he notice a long, long list of missed call notifications. _Misato_. _"Oh,_ _no,"_ he thought in panic. _"I'm gonna be in_ so _much trouble when I get to NERV HQ."_

Hurriedly, Shinji pulled on yesterday's clothes, grabbed his _NERV_ ID card from the nightstand and darted out of the room.

\- 2 -

As Shinji walked into the inclined elevator leading to the geofront, he saw that Rei had already arrived and was eyeing him with what might have been disapproval.

"Ikari. You're late."

"Oh, hi, Rei. Look, I'm sorry I was so late, it was just... well..."

His voice trailed off as he noticed that Rei was staring at him.

"R-rei, uh, why are you _looking_ at me like that?"

"What do you mean?"

Shinji's cheeks coloured, and he looked away nervously.

"Um, you're... you're kinda staring at me..."

"If my observing you makes you uncomfortable, I will stop."

Shinji's head jerked up. "N-no, I - I didn't mean..." But Rei had already turned away and was staring out of the observation window. "Um, never mind."

As the elevator entered the geofront with a shuddering jolt, Shinji looked pensively down at his hands. _"I still know so little about her,"_ he thought, _"so why do I feel so jumpy around her?"_ He looked up to see Rei still staring down at the HQ building far below. _"She looks... so lost."_

\- 3 -

Hot water rained down on Shinji's neck and back, relaxing his tense muscles as he distractedly lathered his slim, toned frame, removing any contaminants that might interfere with the synchronization between him and the simulation bodies.

 _"Why am I so_ nervous _around her?"_ he wondered to himself. _"She's just another pilot."_ He squeezed a generous amount of shampoo into his palm and began to lather up his short, brown hair. _"But... there's something captivating about her... especially when she_ smiles _like she did that night."_

A faint smile passed over Shinji's face, to be replaced with a look of concern. He rinsed the foam from his hair and body, flinching involuntarily at a sharp sting in his hand. He looked thoughtfully at his palm, with its patch of angry red from when he had struggled with _Unit 00_ 's emergency hatch. _"She usually seems so sad. Does she_ ever _feel happy, I wonder?_ "

Suddenly, over the light murmur of the falling water, he became aware of a scraping sound behind him. Shinji whirled around to see Rei, closing the shower stall's sliding partition behind her.

"Wha- _R-rei?_ Y-you're not supposed to be in here! I-" As she turned to look at him, he remembered that he was naked and looked down at himself. " _Oh..._ " Blushing a deep red, he reached down to cover his modesty.

"I apologise for disturbing you, Pilot Ikari." She looked at him without apparent emotion. "The secondary shower seems to be closed for maintenance, so I came here."

"B-but..." Shinji belatedly noticed that Rei was already wearing her white plugsuit and interface headset. In spite of his embarrassment, he was unable to ignore how the suit's slick, shiny material clung to her every curve.

"R-rei, you're already in your suit... I'm... I'm not sure i-if you should get water on it... before the tests..."

"Yes. When you came to my room and saw me undressed, it made you uncomfortable."

"Yeah, but-"

"I do not wish to make you feel uncomfortable, Ikari."

"N-no, I know, Rei, b-but... W-well, okay, but you can't shower with _clothes_ on..." Shinji gulped and spoke hurriedly. "A-anyway, the whole point of showering b-before a test is, uh, to m-make sure we get a good connection with our flight suits... a-at least that's what Ritsuko said, so... um..."

"Understood," said Rei, nodding in agreement. "Then, I will remove my suit."

" _Rei, no!_ My god, Rei, t-that's not what I... Uh... Look, I-I'll be finished soon, then you can come and shower, ok?"

"That would not be an efficient use of our time. The upcoming test is more important."

"I... I _know_ , but... Well..." Shinji hesitated, unsure of what to say next. Before he could organise his thoughts, from behind him came the unmistakable _"fsshhh"_ of a plugsuit being released.

"R-rei?" Shinji looked up in alarm. "Rei, what are you _doing?_ "

As he spoke, Rei slid her now loose plugsuit down over her shoulders, slipped it down her thighs and stepped out to stand, naked, before Shinji. Beads of water danced on her pale skin and rolled down across the curves of her breasts. The tuft of curly hair nestled between her slim but shapely legs was just as blue as the hair on her head.

" _Oh, my god, Rei..._ I'm s-sorry, I didn't mean to look... uh..."

Shinji abruptly noticed his manhood responding of its own volition to the naked girl in front of him. Yelping with embarrassment, he closed his eyes and quickly turned away.

"I'm sorry, Ikari. I am making you uncomfortable again."

Shinji looked nervously over his shoulder at Rei, then with a gulp returned his attention to the tiled wall of the cubicle, trembling.

"Why are you shivering? Are you cold?"

"N-no, i-it's just that..." His breath caught as he felt Rei's arms wrapping around him from behind. "R-Rei..."

"I am sharing my body's warmth with you," she breathed.

"B-but, that's not..."

"You are shivering, but you do not feel cold. Your skin is warm."

Shinji felt Rei's breasts pressing against his back, warm and soft. His erection hardened further. "Rei, i-if someone were to come _in_ here..."

"I locked the door to the shower room behind me."

"W-why would you do that, Rei?"

"I... I do not know."

Shinji's eyes widened.

"Ikari, why were you crying?"

"Huh? W-what do you mean?"

"When you opened my entry plug to save me, you were crying. Why was that?"

"Um... I... I was afraid. I was... scared that I might... _l-lose you_ , Rei..." Shinji's shoulders began to shake, and he began to sniffle softly.

"Ikari?"

To Rei's surprise, Shinji suddenly turned around and wrapped his arms tightly around her, burying his face in her soft, lavender hair, sobbing like his heart would break.

"Ik... _Ikari_... why-"

In between sobs, Shinji cried, "Rei, _please_ don't say... you have nothing else! Please _don't say that!_ " He started to tremble. "You have Misato... Ritsuko, my... my father..."

He lifted his head and looked into Rei's eyes through a haze of tears. Impulsively, he leaned in and kissed her once, softly, on her lips. Rei's eyes widened as he quickly looked, blushing crimson, at the floor. She felt a strange sensation in her chest.

 _"This sensation..."_ Rei thought to herself. _"This is the same feeling I had when l smiled for Shinji. Warm, pleasurable, aching. I don't understand."_ She addressed Shinji directly. "Ikari, why did you kiss me?"

"R-rei... I..." The tip of Shinji's pulsing erection touched Rei's soft, wet skin. She looked down, an expression of surprise on her face. "Ikari, your..."

Shinji blushed uncontrollably and hastily covered himself with both hands. " _D-don't look at that!_ " Rei felt the warm sensation in her chest intensify. "Oh, God, Rei, I-I'm _so_ sorry... I didn't mean..."

 _"So strange,"_ thought Rei, staring at Shinji's erection. _"It is not aesthetically pleasing, and yet... I find myself unable to look away."_ She felt, to her mingled surprise and alarm, a warm dampness between her legs. _"What..._ _what is this_ _sensation?"_

Rei returned her attention to Shinji's face, gazing into his eyes. "Ikari, would you kiss me again?"

"W-what? What do you-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Rei leaned in close and shut her eyes as she touched Shinji's lips with her own. Shinji could feel her breasts squeezing against his chest, warm and yielding.

" _Mmmph!_ "

"Mmm..."

\- 4 -

Meanwhile, unbeknown to the two teenagers, their actions were being watched, on a closed circuit monitor in a room elsewhere within the cavernous _NERV_ building.

"I'm disappointed, Fuyuutski," murmured the soft measured voice of NERV's Commander-in-Chief. "I might have expected this grotesque and _perverse_ behaviour from the Third Child, but from _Rei_..." His words carried an undertone of surprise and anger.

"Shinji... and _Rei?_ " Fuyuutski exclaimed from over the younger man's shoulder, visibly shocked at what he was witnessing. "Are they-"

"Indeed," interrupted the younger man, sitting in typical posture before the monitor, his chin resting on interlaced fingers. "This is a most unexpected and disturbing development."

"I suppose so. But, Ikari, they're both just teenagers," said the older man. "And we've put them through some pretty traumatic events in recent weeks. It's only natural that they might look for... comfort, in each other." He sighed. "So, what are you going to do?"

The commander turned in his seat to look at his subordinate. "For the moment, I shall allow events to proceed as they will. I find the whole situation most distasteful; however, I do not anticipate that this..." His nose wrinkled in revulsion. "...this coupling will cause any delay in achieving the desired scenario." He adjusted his glasses once more. "Indeed, it may afford us a valuable point of leverage over the Third, should he seek to disrupt our plans."

"The Third?" Fuyuutski cleared his throat. "Have you forgotten that Shinji is your _son?_ What would Yui-"

" _Yui is dead,_ " intoned Gendou Ikari as he abruptly rose from his seat. "How dearly I wish that it were not so. Yet we _cannot_ allow our judgment to be clouded by mere emotion. There is far more at stake here than we can _ever_ hope to comprehend. Nothing must be allowed to interfere."

He adjusted his glasses. "We will proceed according to the directions laid out in the Dead Sea Scrolls. You are, of course, in agreement, Fuyuutski?"

"Uh, yes, Commander - o-of course," stammered the grey-haired man.

"Good," said Ikari with a faint smile. He cast an eye over the scene unfolding on the monitor.

"Monitor the two of them closely."

\- 5 -

After a long moment, their lips parted.

"Rei... why..."

"Ikari... Sh... Shinji..."

"Oh, _Rei_..."

Driven by a desperate, growing need, Shinji wrapped his arms tightly around Rei and kissed her hard on her mouth. Rei tensed, caught unawares, but then embraced Shinji, her arms around his neck, and they stepped back under the shower head, her naked, wet body pressing firmly against his. They kissed for some seconds before parting again.

"Shinji... this feeling... I don't understand." Rei said softly as she reached up to stroke Shinji's soft, wet hair. "When you kissed me, I felt warm inside. I felt safe. Why... why... do I feel like this?"

"Oh, Rei... Rei, I..."

Once again, interrupting Shinji mid-sentence, Rei leaned in and kissed him, softly. Without realising, Shinji opened his mouth and gently caressed her lips with his tongue, where, to his surprise, he found it met by her own.

 _"This feels so good..."_ , Rei thought to herself. Their kiss deepened, and their bodies pressed more urgently against one another. _"Is this..."_ she thought, _"...is this what people mean when they say_ _'making love'?"_

Shinji found himself gently sucking Rei's soft lower lip, and she moaned involuntarily. _"Is this what it feels like?"_ she thought, her head spinning as their tongues danced around each other.

They came up for air then, a thin, silvery strand of saliva stretching between their lips.

"Rei, I-I've never _felt_ this way before."

"Shinji..."

"You're... _so_ beautiful, Rei..."

"I am... _beautiful?_ "

They gazed deep into each other's eyes for a long moment.

"Shinji, when I'm with you, I feel... happy and warm. It's very... pleasant. I don't want this feeling to fade."

"Oh, Rei..." Shinji smiled, embarrassed, and absently put down a hand to cover his erection.

"Shinji... what does it mean, to make love?"

"What? R-rei, _why_ are you _asking_ me that?"

"I've read the textbooks, but I don't fully understand. Sex is a means for procreation, but I've observed that people also do it for pleasure. Is that correct?"

"Well... yeah, I _guess,_ " stammered a red-faced Shinji.

"And people also do it to express their feelings toward each other. Is this why it's called 'making love'?"

Shinji gulped nervously. "Uh, y-yes, that's it."

Rei looked at him with a serious expression.

"Shinji, would you... make love... with me?"

" _W-what?_ " stammered Shinji. "What are you _saying_ , Rei?"

"Since the most recent battle, I've been feeling certain things. Feelings I'm not used to having." Rei stroked Shinji's cheek tenderly, and her expression shifted to one of pleading. "I've realized that I would _only_ have those feelings when I was around you. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel myself wanting to be close to you. To... _touch you._ " She blushed deeply.

Tenderly, Shinji took her hand in his. "Rei, I... I don't _understand_ why you would want to be close to me. I'm _nothing_." He started to sniffle again as his eyes welled up with tears. "I have _nothing_ to offer you!"

Rei looked at him quizzically, squeezing his fingers between her own. "No. You _saved_ me. I was certain that I would die in the entry plug, and then I saw you. I wondered if I might be dreaming. No-one has _ever_ shown me such compassion, except for Commander Ikari." Shinji's brow furrowed at the mention of his father's name as Rei continued to speak softly to him.

"I _truly_ have nothing, Shinji. I have no family, no friends, no past that I can recall. I exist only to pilot _Eva_. Being a pilot was my purpose, and all that I needed. But then I met you, and you showed me such undeserved kindness. I want... to return your kindness. I want to be special to someone. I want..." She paused, her eyes filling with tears. "I... want to be special to _you_ , Shinji. I want you. Only you."

The tears were overflowing from Shinji's own eyes now, and he felt a deep upwelling of affection for the beautiful young woman standing before him, baring her very soul to him, and his heart felt like it would burst.

"Rei..." He paused, searching for the right words. "Rei, I have nothing in this world. My mother is dead, and my father... my father doesn't care about me at _all_. My friends are great, but... when I'm not in school, I feel so _lonely_ , and I hate it. I want to be special to somebody too. And..." He blushed again. "Well, I'd really like that to be you, Rei."

Rei's face lit up with the happiest smile that Shinji thought he'd ever seen. She stepped forward and gathered him into a warm, tender hug, resting her head on his shoulder. He could feel her heart beating fast between her breasts, her warm breath on his skin. He could feel, to his chagrin, his erection squeezed between their bodies.

He sighed, contentedly.

\- 6 -

Meanwhile, in the high-ceilinged control room, Captain Misato Katsuragi, _NERV_ Operations Director, paced back and forth impatiently.

"Damn it, where _are_ those two? The test was supposed to have started by now." She slammed her coffee mug down on the control desk, splashing tiny black droplets into the air. Abruptly, her demeanour softened and she half-turned to address her blonde colleague. "I hope they're okay, Ritsu."

The labcoated woman, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, seemed unconcerned by the continued absence of the _Eva_ pilots. Leaning back in her seat, she sipped on her long-cold coffee. "Don't get yourself into such a state, Misato," she said, lighting another cigarette and taking a deep drag. "They'll _be_ here".

"But what if something's happened to them? Ritsuko, you saw what Shinji was like after the battle. I'm..." She slumped down in a vacant chair and sighed deeply. "I'm afraid he's run away again. And this time... I'm worried he may not come back."

Dr. Akagi glanced at a tiny subwindow of one of the digital displays in front of her, which had been dragged to one corner where Misato couldn't see it. It seemed to show a blurred view of two people in very close proximity.

"I doubt that, Misato. It's more likely that the two of them have simply been..." She smiled faintly. "... unavoidably delayed."

\- 7 -

"Rei, y-y'know, w-we don't _have_ to do this right now."

The shower had long since ended its cycle. Rei and Shinji knelt, facing each other, on a damp towel spread across the cold tile floor of the shower cubicle.

"I know, Ika... Shinji," Rei murmured.

"I mean, I want to..." Shinji fidgeted and shifted his position. "It's just... well, we've known each other for so little time." He looked into her deep red eyes. "Rei, what if you get _pregnant?_ Or what if M- _Misato_ finds out that we've been doing this? We'll be _finished!_ "

"She won't find out."

"B-but..."

"Shinji, I _need_ you. I want to become one with you. One mind and body." She smiled tenderly at the nervous young man opposite. "I want to know what it means to be loved by you." She leaned forward, kissing him passionately. Shinji soon responded in kind, and the two of them fell side by side onto the towel spread beneath them, clinging desperately to each other, their mouths locked together as their hands caressed each other's bodies.

They parted for breath, then Rei, overcome by the urgency of her need, reached down between them and placed a hand gently but firmly on Shinji's erection. To her it felt hot, hard and insistent, a conduit to give and receive unimaginable pleasure.

"Shinji, I want you to touch me."

Confused and embarrassed, Shinji said, "But, but I am touching you!"

Rei laughed softly. "No, Shinji, that's not it. I want you to touch me in the way I'm touching you. I want you to touch me..." She blushed and smiled. "...between my legs."

"Oh!" Shinji giggled, then his face took on a more serious note. "Are you sure? I don't want to... hurt you..."

"You could never hurt me. You are so kind and gentle. _Please_..." A tear spilled from the corner of Rei's eye. "Please touch me."

With a mixture of terror and elation, Shinji reached down between them and softly ran his fingers down her belly until he reached her mound. Her pubic hair was extraordinarily soft, yet he kept going until he found something much softer and warmer.

 _"Oh, my_ god he thought. _"Is this Rei's... womanhood?"_ It felt hot and damp to the touch, and smooth like silk. He softly stroked her with the lightest brushing of his fingertips. Rei moaned softly and arched her back, parting her legs to allow him better access. Her own hand gently caressed his pulsing length, which had now emerged from its sheath to expose the deep pink head. She felt a slippery wetness on her palm as her hand passed over his tip, and without thinking, she brought her hand to her lips and licked it.

Unable to control himself, Shinji gently lifted her hand away and touched her tongue with his own, and their tongues slid easily and deeply into each others mouths as his fingers quested further downward. "Mmm, you feel so good, Rei..." he breathed during a break in their kiss.

"So do you, Shinji," Rei replied adoringly, and she tensed and moaned as his index finger slipped inside her. "Ohhh... oh, _god_... oh, it feels so _good_..." She sighed and moaned, her body squirming under his touch, desperately wanting more of him inside her.

"Rei, you're so _beautiful_ ," Shinji said, gently pressing deeper into her crevice. He could feel her tightening and swelling around his fingers, which were now wet from her. "R-Rei... would you mind if I..." He blushed deeply again. "... _kissed_ you there?"

"I... would like that, Shinji... _very_ much," Rei breathed, a look of sheer joy on her flushed face. She yelped softly as his fingers left her, and she turned onto her back, spreading her legs wide apart as Shinji edged back until he saw her unveiled womanhood, deep pink and slick with wetness. Rei gazed down at him as he slowly lowered himself, and her head jerked back with a cry as his lips touched her.

He took a deep breath. "Mmmm, you smell sweet, Rei," he whispered, before running out his tongue and softly pressing the very tip between her engorged labia, then slowly licking upward from bottom to top. He could hear Rei's soft moans and felt her body moving against his touch as he licked her. He pressed his tongue deeper, relishing the sweet taste of her juices, and gently licked and sucked her labia, making her moan ever more loudly.

"S-Shinji... Don't stop", she murmured, her voice trembling. She reached down and tousled his damp hair between her fingers, arching her body upward against him. She could feel every sensual movement of his tongue, every flickering, teasing touch against her secret flesh. She had never imagined anything could feel so good. "Oh... Shinji..." She yelped with pleasure as his questing tongue found her pearl and firmly caressed it. "Oh, g-god... _Shinji... mmmmh_..."

Shinji began to work faster, his tongue alternately flicking and caressing her love-bud, tasting her juices as they welled up into his mouth, feeling her shiver and tremble under his touch. He buried his face deep between her legs, desperately wanting to taste every part of her. He slid his tongue deeper into her passage, exploring, tasting her sweetness.

"Rei, you taste so good..." he moaned in a muffled voice. Rei was visibly quivering with pleasure, panting in short, hectic breaths as his tongue returned to caressing her pearl. As he did so, she felt something building up deep in her abdomen, a rising wave of blissful warmth that overwhelmed her completely.

"Shinji... Shinji, I'm... oh... _aaahhh_..." She cried out as wave after wave of ecstasy began to crash over her, carrying her aloft on a torrent of intoxicating pleasure.

" _Aaaahhhhh, Shinji... Shinjiii... OOOOOHHH!_ " Her thighs closed around his head and she jerked herself violently against his mouth, crying out again and again. She thought she might lose herself in this pleasure.

" _Shinji! Oh, god, Shinji! Ohhhhhh... Shiinjii..._ " Slowly, so slowly, the pulsing subsided, leaving a deep warmth and contentment. "Shinji..."

Shinji lifted his head and looked innocently up at Rei's flushed, smiling face. "Was that... okay, Rei? I... I mean..."

Rei smiled, and tousled his hair. "Shinji..." she panted. "You were _wonderful_. I never imagined that I could feel so much pleasure." She took his arm and gently guided him so that he was straddled atop her. " Shinji, I want to feel _all_ of you. I want to feel you _inside me_. She glanced down at his flushed and erect manhood, its tip moist with a thick, sticky fluid, and looked into his deep blue eyes. "Shinji, _make love to me_. Show me what it means to love and be loved."

Shinji gazed adoringly down at the beautiful young woman. "O-ok, Rei... If that's what you want." He shifted position as she took hold of his erection to guide it. As he lay on top of her, he felt himself entering her, and hesitated as she cried out softly and tensed with apparent pain. "Rei, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" She silenced him with a finger to his lips. "It's ok. It hurts a little, but it feels wonderful. Please... don't stop." She placed her hands on his buttocks and pulled him toward her, his erection sliding deliciously all the way into her.

"Oh, my _god_..." Shinji breathed, feeling Rei's warmth and wetness tightening around his length. Leaning in for a kiss, he began slowly to slide his hips back and forth. He reached up with one hand and laid it on her breast, causing her to moan and press herself more firmly against him as he stroked and squeezed her erect nipple. He gazed into her eyes as they made sweet, tender love, and at that moment all the unfocused feelings that had been swirling around his mind came to a point. "Rei..."

He felt his muscles tensing, a rising tide welling up deep within, and he thrust harder as she moaned in joy and ecstasy. "Oh, god, _Rei_ , I..." How could anything feel so wonderful? How could this make him feel so complete? Finally he could hold back no longer. " _REI, I LOVE YOU!_ " he screamed, and the tide overflowed, violent paroxysms of pleasure enveloping him as he held her tightly, and they shared a deep, passionate kiss, their tongues intertwined as his essence flowed into her, their bodies locked together, floating in a bubble of newfound joy and happiness.

After what seemed like an eternity, he relaxed and lay on top of her, his head resting softly between her breasts, and sighed, "Rei..."

"Shinji..." Rei sighed contentedly, stroking his sweat-damp hair. "I love you. I love you."

\- 8 -

"Where the _HELL_ have you two _BEEN?_ " yelled a furious Misato as the two pilots ran into the control room. "The test was supposed to start an _hour_ ago! What if this had been a _real_ emergency?" She noticed their flushed faces and messy hair, and raised an eyebrow. "What have you been _doing_ all this time?"

Shinji stepped forward and glanced around nervously, looking for a way out of this situation. "Well, um... you see... uh..."

"It is my fault, Captain Katsuragi."

Misato glanced, surprised, over Shinji's shoulder.

"One of the shower units was out of order," said Rei, looking downward. "Pilot Ikari was kind enough to allow me to shower first, and..." She looked at the puzzled Operations Director. "I think I lost track of time. I am sorry."

Misato's brow furrowed. She was uncertain, but... Rei was the most honest person she'd met during her time at NERV. Surely she must be telling the truth. The Captain was about to speak again when Dr. Akagi interrupted from her chair at the control desk.

" _Well_... I guess it can't be helped," she said, finishing her cigarette and stubbing it out in the already overflowing ashtray beside her coffee mug. She stood up. "Pilots, please proceed to the simulation area. We will commence the test shortly."

"Oh, r-right," stuttered Shinji. "Um..."

"But next time, _try_ not to be so late," said Ritsuko, a half-smirk on her lips.

"Understood," said Rei, and gave a perfunctory bow. "Captain Katsuragi", she said with a nod, and started walking towards the testing centre before looking back over her shoulder. "Pilot Ikari, please follow me."

"Huh?..." Shinji was sure that Rei, out of view of the others, had just winked at him. "Okay, I'm coming..."

\- 9 -

"Ritsuko... are these readings correct?"

The sync test was now well under way, and Misato was examining the A-10 readouts with growing interest.

"They certainly are," replied the platinum blonde, scratching her head. "Shinji's synchronization rate has climbed by thirteen points since the last test, and his A-10 nerve connections have also become stronger. Rei's scores have improved similarly." She sipped her coffee thoughtfully.

"Wow, that's _amazing_ ," breathed the indigo-haired woman. She turned to look at her colleague. "What do you think might have caused it?"

"Who knows," replied Dr. Akagi, unable to look directly at Misato. "But we shouldn't question it - just take it for the improvement that it is and take advantage of that."

"Well, regardless, I think those two deserve to know how impressive it is, right?" grinned Misato, and she flicked on the comm circuit patched though to the simulation bodies, suspended in a vast tank outside the Pribnow box. Within the giant, half-formed humanoid shapes, the pilots lay in their entry plugs, immersed in warm LCL.

 _"...Rei, Shinji, your sync rates have both increased more than_ ten points _from the last test. I don't know_ what _you've been doing lately, but make sure you keep doing it! The Angels won't stand a chance! Well done!"_

 _"...Yes, ma'am._

 _"...Uh... Yeah, thanks, Misato."_

Shutting off the comm channel, Shinji opened the video feed to the other simulation body, where Rei was sitting motionless. "Rei, did you hear that?... Rei?"

Rei did not answer, but for just a moment as he spoke, Shinji noticed a warm smile flickering across her face.

He thought to himself, _"Maybe this world is worth saving after all."_ He smiled warmly.

 _"Maybe things will work out alright."_

\- END -

 **Author's note:**

Well, finally, here it is, my very first upload! It's based on an idea I had some years ago when I first watched Evangelion. Originally it was going to be a POV piece, but I realised that it would be difficult to write convincingly as such, so I went for the obvious pairing. My aim was to write something that was erotic without being lurid, about two people finding each other and discovering the joy of sex for the first time. I hope that I've succeeded with that, and I hope there was enough non-sexytime stuff in there to flesh out the story a bit. Pardon the pun. *grins*

Please leave a review or comment if if you enjoyed this story, or if you can offer any pointers on how I could improve it.

 _21/12_ \- Wow, I'm completely blown away by the positive reception this little story has had. Thank you all so much! 3

xx _Ayanami1167_ xx


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